springs to life with a riot of colours with its many vibrant festivals. Throughout the year various regional festivals and state festivals bring people together. Festivals are marked by food, fun, dance and song, bringing not just the state’s people together but drawing visitors from and 1 abroad to join in. 1 1 1 1 1 Cover Image uttarayan festival is marked by kite flying left to right witness garba and dandiya ras during navratri; a craft stall at rann utsav; the tarnetar mela is at 0 Saputara 1 1 the trinetreshwar mahadev mandir grounds Market in Ahmedabad and also the Vibrant Gujarat 1 Cover Image © shutterstock/StockImageFactory.com left & centre © gujarat tourism board right © shutterstock/ By This annual monsoon festival is held in August- Navratri in Ahmedabad. The United Way of Garba is in ImagesofIndia September, at the Lake Area in Saputara, Gujarat’s Vadodara which is called the cultural capital for its grand 0 Uttarayan- The International Kite Festival 0 Tarnetar Mela prominent hill station along the Western Ghats. Various Navratri celebrations. Gujaratis associate the Uttarayan festival, celebrated on This annual fair of colours, music and folk dances, nature activities are included alongside the festival like Vadodara, Ahmedabad among others 14th January, every year to mark winter solstice or Makar magicians and tattoo artists is held for three days in picnics and boating in the Saputara Lake, treks up to the Sankaranti. It is dedicated to flying kites on rooftops Bhadarya Sud of the Hindu calendar (August-September). Sunset Point, walks around the Rose garden and visits to 0 Rann Utsav and spirited battles of cutting each other’s strings in The Tarnetar Mela is based on the legend of swayamvara the Saputara Tribal Museum and Aquarium. The festival is Held from November to February, craft, design, art, music festive competitions. Kite festivals during Uttarayan are or groom-seeking-ritual by Draupadi, the queen in the marked by folk dancers and musicians in colourful ethnic and dance of a people are showcased in a brilliant festival held all over the state including Surat, Vadodara, epic Mahabharata. Women wearing black zimi (skirt) are costumes and food and craft stalls around the lake area. on the white desert of Kutch. The three-day festival is held and Nadiad. Topping them all is the International Kite taken, while those wearing red zimi are seeking partners. Saputara is 409km from Ahmedabad by road; railway in winter across various locales of the region near the banks Festival in Ahmedabad. It is held with great fanfare The fair is held on the temple grounds of Trinetreshwar stations are Waghai and Billimora; nearest airport is of the lake or by the beachside. Visitors can expect folk where participants from Malaysia, Indonesia, USA, Japan, Mahadev Mandir. In the 21st century the fair’s whirl of Vadodara music and dance performances, textile crafts, cuisine with Italy, China among other congregate for kite flying music, dance and ethnic tribespeople gathering allow the evenings lit up by the full moon (www.rannutsav.net) competitions with enthusiastic crowds cheering them young people to meet. For visitors and travellers who 0 Navratri Bhuj, Mandvi, Dholavira, Narayan Sarovar, Lakhpat on. You can find 24-hour kite markets like Dariapur, gather here, the fair’s combination of folk performances, Nine nights of dancing are what the visitor would find Kalupur, Sarangpur and Patang Bazaar in Ahmedabad handicrafts stalls and food and local colour is a big draw. during the Navratri festival in Gujarat held in autumn swing into action days ahead as people rush to buy Large group folk dances like ras, hudo, rahado (a circular (September-October). The festival commemorates the colourful, and sometimes uniquely designed kites. dance by Rabari women of the Zalawad tribe), jodiya mother goddess Durga, who slayed the evil demon Festival Clock Undhiyu, jalebi, chiki-tal papdi combo, khichdo, sherdi, pavas (double flutes), bhajans (hymns) are performed Mahishasur. In Gujarat, Navratri is synonymous with January Uttarayan (Kite Festival) bor, shingoda and jamfal are some of the sweet and here with great ardour. endless feasts and organised dance sessions of garba August/September Tarnetar Mela/ savoury snacks that are essential to the Uttarayan menu. Surendranagar, 8km from (nearest and ras in city fairgrounds in Gujarat. The evening’s Saputara Monsoon Festival The sight of the skies, awakening at dawn, dotted with railhead is the Ahmedabad–Hapa); tented celebrations are marked by community pujas followed by September/October Navratri thousands of colourful kites is brilliant to behold. accommodation provided by Gujarat Tourism (www. garba and dandiya ras dances. Head to Gheekanta Road, November to February Rann Utsav www.ikf.gujarattourism.com; Ahmedabad gujarattourism.com) Swaminarayan Temple, Nagori Sharda and Madhupura FOR ENQUIRIES CONTACT Tourism Corporation of Gujarat Ltd 4th Floor, Block 16, Udhyog Bhavan, Sector 11, Gandhinagar, Gujarat 382011 1800 200 5080 (toll free)

www.gujarattourism.com www.facebook.com/gujtourism www.twitter.com/GujaratTourism Festivals in Gujarat